Prototype Rolling Hoops Found?

Work continues on the NCCHP collection, as items and documents are removed from storage, cleaned and organized. Here are two unusual items that came to light in the attic of building 14 this week:

Rolling hoop prototype? This is more of a wheel than a hoop.
See close-up below for a better view of the wires running outward from the hub to the outer edge of the wheel.

Elaborate arrangement to secure wires, forming 8 "pizza slice" shaped segments. When the wheel is rolled the wires would be plucked by a twanger (for lack of a better name) consisting of a nail-like piece of metal driven through the wooden fork.

The sound produced is a low, off-key, depressing twong-twong-twong, which may explain why it doesn't seem to have gone into production. It appears the wires are tunable, giving hope that they might have stuck a more pleasing tune before the toy went into 100 years of storage, more or less.

A smaller version with 4 wires. This did not have a handle.